Conjuring apparatus



(No Model.)

W. HANLON. GONJURING APPARATUS.-

-No. 554,682. Patented Feb. 18, 1896.

Inventor.

\ I Q I Attorn ANDRLW BGRAHAM. PnoTo-LfmQwAsl-HNGTON. D c

iATENT- FFlCE.

TVILLIAM HANLON, OF COHASSET, MASSACHUSETTS.

CONJURING APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 554,682, dated February18, 1896.

Application filed January 8, 1894.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM HANLON, of the city of Oohasset, county ofNorfolk, and State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement inOonj urin g Apparatus, of which the following is a specification.

My invention has reference to stage-conjuring apparatus; and it consistsof certain improvements, which are fully set forth in the followingspecification and shown in the accompanying drawings, which form a partthereof.

The object of my invention is to produce an apparatus in the form of achair or seat upon which a person may sit, and while the said chair orseat is in full View of the audience be caused to disappear. The chairor seatis so supported that it is exposed to view from all sides andfrom above and below as well, so that the illusion is heightened by thefact that there is no opportunity for the person to escape from thechair without being seen.

In carrying out my improvement I provide a chair or seat structure madehollow in the seat and having the compartment formed thereby providedwith one or more projecting compartments, the seat compartment beingadapted to receive the body of the person who is to vanish, while thearms or legs or both are caused to extend into the projectingcompartments.

In my preferred form of the apparatus I form the four feet of the chairhollow, so that they form projecting compartments frcm the seatcompartment. The subject then places her legs into the two front legs ofthe chair then lays her body down upon the bottom of the chair so as tobe received in the seat-oompartment and thrusts the arms down into thecompartments formed by the two rear legs of the chair. A hinged door orlid closes the seat-compartment, so that the subject cannot be seen.

A hood or temporary cover is thrown over the front of the chair when thesubject is seated thereon, and while in that position the subject, whilethus hidden from view, quickly gets into the hollow compartments, andwhen the hood or covering is removed the chair is apparently empty. Toheighten the effect I have usually made the chair with very short legsand then set it upon a carrier, also hav- Serial No. 496,035. (Nomodel.)

ing legs, which is supported on the shoulders of four men. The legs ofthe carrier are also hollow and come in line with the legs of the chair,so that the legs of the subject may pass through the legs of the chairand down into the legs of the carrier. The same may be done with thearms. When the apparatus is properly constructed and manipulated theeffeet is most puzzling and is seldom fathomed.

My invention, while preferable in certain forms, is not confined to anyspecial design, but comprehends all conjuring chairs in which the'seatis made hollow and provided with one or more projecting compartments, sothat the limbs as well as the body of the subject may be shielded withinthe natural confines of a chair structure.

My invention will be better understood by reference to the accompanyingdrawings, in which- Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improvedconjuring-chair upon its carrier. Fig. 2 is a front sectional elevationof same on line as 00. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the carrier. Fig.4 is a side elevation of a modified form of my improved apparatus. Fig.5 is a plan View of same, and Figs. 6 and '7 are elevations of stillother modifications of my invention.

A is the chair proper, B is thehood or cover therefor, and O is thecarrier.

Y The chair A is made of any suitable shape, highly ornamented, and isprovided with a compartment D in the seat portion, which is furnishedwith a hinged lid .or cover E, the hinge thereof being preferably on theside adjacent to the audience.

The chair has a back F and four legs G, which are made hollow and openinto the seatcompartment D, forming projectin g compartments therefrom.

The chair may have four handles H with which to lift it.

B is a hood formed of hoops B hinged to the chair at b and having acovering 13 of textile material. The hood may be thrown down in front ofthe chair, as indicated in dotted lines, or thrown back to expose thesubject.

The carrier 0 is formed like a table with four legs I, made hollow andopening through It is also provided with four long the top.

ICO

handles .I, by which it may be lifted and supported 011 the shoulders offour men. The openings to the hollow legs I of the carrier are at eachexhibition covered with tissue paper S corresponding in color to that ofthe carrier. The bottom of the legs G of the chair are also open, andwhen the chair is lifted upon the carrier the hollow legs G are placedimmediately over the hollow legs I. The hood B is then turned down, andduring the operation of lifting the carrier and chair upon the shouldersof the four men the subject stows herself away within the compartmentsof the seat and the legs of both the chair and the carrier.

It will be readily appreciated that by employing the carrier the effectmay be enhanced, first, by shortening the height of the chair and makingit appear small, and, second, by providing means for supporting thechair in space.

The function of the chair as a means for receiving the legs and arms ofthe subject is thought of for the moment and it appears as if itsfunction were wholly to be a means for elevating the chair. In practicethe subject is so adept and quick in her movements that it appears as ifthe vanishing was performed in an instant.

The carrier may be dispensed with if desired by simply making the legs Gof the chair A deep enough or by forming the compartments as shown inother figures. IV here the carrier is used, the openings to the legs Iare covered with tissue paper, as I have before stated, so that itappears as if there could be no connection between the chair andcarrier, and when the subject is being received in the compartments thefeet and hands are thrust through the tissue paper. The position of thesubject in vanished position is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 4, the chair is intended to be used without thecarrier shown in Fig. 3. In this figure the chair is shaped to representa dragon. The head portions K are made hollow and open from theseat-compartment D, and are adapted to form projecting compartments toreceive the feet andlegs. The tail portions L of the dragon form rearhandles and constitute two rear projecting compartments for receivingthe arms. The position of the subject is indicated in dotted lines inFig. 4. B is the hood or cover, as in the case of Fig. 1. The head andtail portions of this chair act as handles by which the chair may beelevated and carried without the use of the carrier. The carrier of Fig.3 may be used with this chair of Fig. 4; if desired, however. It is alsoevident that two of the legs of this chair may be utilized to receivethe arms or legs, as in the case of Fig. 1, the remaining parts beingreeeivedin the head portions K or tail portions L.

In the construction shown in Fig. 0 we have still another modificationof the apparatus. In this case the chair is shown as supported onwheels. The seat is made hollow as before to form the compartment D, andthe back M in this case is also made hollow, so that the subject may lieon her back in the compartment D and thrust her limbs up into the backcompartment or compartments M, as indicated in dotted lines. 15 is themovable hood, as in the other cases. F is the lid or cover to theseat-compartment. In this case the arms are held alongside of the body.It is also evident that while in this case we have but a singleprojecting compartment opening from the seat-compartment, we may employprojecting compartments at the front, as in the other cases, to receivethe arms.

In Fig. 7 is shown a construction in which the feet are received inrear-handled extensions of the chair and the arms in the hollow forefeetof the chair.

The various types of my invention disclose the one general feature ofmaking the chair with a seat-colnpartment from which open one or moreprojecting compartments, the whole being adapted to receive the body andlimbs within the confines of the chair structure.

In the operation the hood or shield covering is always thrown down orover the front portion of the chair and subject so as to give a shelterduring the time necessary to secrete herself withinthe chair. Byselecting a slender subject the chair maybe built to just rcceive herand thus be made delicate or light in appearance, so that to theaudience it would not appear possible for a person to be secretedtherein; also, by employing for a dress a thin but fluffy silk puffedout, a very small slender person may appear to be quite large and thusheighten the magic effect.

The opening into the compartments of the chair may be made in anysuitable manner and may be formed by a cloth, flexible, or rigid coverhinged or otherwise connected.

Ido not confine myself to the details of construction or the particularkind of hood or shield, as all of these may be modified withoutdeparting from my invention.

That I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. Gonj uring apparatus consisting of a chair or seat structure having ahollow seat-compartment and one or more projecting compartments openingtherefrom, and a movable lid or cover forming an entrance to theseatcompartment in combination with a movable hood or shielding coveradapted to be thrown over the front portion of the chair to temporarilyhide the subject sitting in the chair.

2. Conjuring apparatus consisting of a chair or seat structure made witha hollow seat-compartment having a movable cover or lid, and providedwith hollow leg or foot portions forming projecting compartments incombination with a movable hood or shielding cover adapted to be thrownover the front of the chair to temporarily hide the subject sitting inthe chair.

3. Conjuring apparatus consisting of a chair or seat structureohaving ahollow seat-compartment having a movable cover or lid, and provided withhollow leg or foot portions forming projecting compartments incombination with a movable hood or shielding cover adapted to be thrownover the front of the chair to temporarily hide the subject sitting inthe chair, and a carrier also provided with hollow leg or foot portionsadapted to form continuous hollow compartments with leg portions of thechair.

4. Con j uring apparatus consisting of a chair having a hollowseat-compartment and hollow leg portions forming projectingcompartments, in combination with a carrier formed with hollow legportions adapted to come into line with the leg portions of the chairproper and form continuous compartments extending from the seat-compartment down and into the legs of the carrier.

5. Conj uring apparatus consisting of a chair having a hollowseat-compartment and hollow leg portions forming projecting compartmentsin combination with a carrier formed with hollow leg portions adapted tocome into line with the leg portions of the chair proper and formcontinuous compartments extendin g from the seat-compartment down and into the legs of the carrier, and rupturable coverings over the upperopenings of the hollow leg portions of the carrier to temporarily sealor hide said openings.

(3. Conjuring apparatus consisting of a chair having a hollowseat-compartment and hollow leg portions formingproj ectin g compartments, in combination with a carrier formed with hollow leg portionsadapted to come into line with the leg portions of the chair proper andform continuous compartments extending from the seat-compartment downand into the legs of the carrier, in combination with a movable hood orshielding-cover adapted to be thrown over the front portion of the chairto temporarily hidethe subject sitting in the chair.

7. A conjuring apparatus consisting of a chair structure formed hollowand having compartments arranged at angles to each other and adapted toreceive the body and limbs of the subject, and provided with a lid orcover to obtain access to said compartments, in combination with amovable hood or shielding-cover adapted to be thrown over the frontportion of the chair to temporarily hide the subject sitting in thechair.

8. A conjuring apparatus consisting of a chair structure formed hollowand having compartments arranged at angles to each other and adapted toreceive the body and limbs of the subject, and provided with a lid orcover to obtain access to said compartments, in combination with adetachable carrier having hollow portions adapted to open into thecompartments of the chair proper when the latter is placed upon thecarrier.

9. Con j uring apparatus consisting of a rigid or self-supporting chairor seat structure having a horizontal hollow seat-compartment, and oneor more projecting compartments opening from one or both ends thereof,amovable lid or cover forming an entrance to the seat-compartment, and aremovable shield or cover adapted to temporarily hide the occupantsitting in the chair or seat structure.

10. Conjuring apparatus consisting of a chair or seat structure having ahorizontal hollow seat-compartment having a movable cover or lidprovided with hollow rigid supporting leg or foot portions formingprojecting compartments from the end or ends of the hollowseat-compartment, and a removable shield or cover adapted to temporarilyhide the occupant sitting in the chair or seat structure.

11. A conjuring apparatus consisting of a rigid chair structure formedhollow and hav ing rigid compartments arranged at angles to each otherand adapted to receive the body and limbs of the subject, provided witha lid or cover to obtain access to said compartments, and a removableshield or cover adapted to temporarily hide the occupant sitting in thechair.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand.

WILLIAM HANLON. \Vitnesses ANNIE L. PHELPS, WILLIAM UUSHING WAIT.

